Brummell judges seek candidates that demonstrate drive, energy and entrepreneurial spirit alongside positive contributions both inside and outside their workplace. They select 30 leading individuals under the age of 40 from London’s financial services, law and allied fields. The Reed Smith lawyers included are:
Becca Naylor
Becca Naylor’s career is marked by her commitment to human rights and pro bono work. Currently the firm’s EMEA head of pro bono, she has worked in Greece and Jordan on Reed Smith’s global refugee protection project, held secondments as head of legal at Safe Passage and served in Liberty’s advice and information team. Under eight years of her leadership, Reed Smith’s EMEA pro bono practice has almost tripled in size, and in 2023 alone, the firm’s EMEA lawyers provided over 34,000 hours of pro bono support. Naylor collaborated with law firms and NGOs to set up and support the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance in the UK; the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative; the Ukraine Refugee Project; and she handled cases with Kids in Need of Defense UK.
Eleanor Ruiz
Qualified in England and Wales and Hong Kong, Ruiz is a commercial litigator at Reed Smith, with experience in insurance recovery work. She is a leader for pro bono work within Reed Smith, winning the 2022 LawWorks Pro Bono Award for Best Contribution by an Individual for her commitment and leadership across multiple pro bono projects, including coordinating the firm’s work with Amicus, assisting lawyers representing individuals facing the death penalty in the United States. Ruiz was featured in The Law Society Gazette as a Lawyer in the News in connection with a high-profile pro bono case in May 2022. Ruiz also serves on the committee for the Women’s Initiative Network of Reed Smith.
Emma Weeden
A senior associate in the London corporate team of global law firm Reed Smith, Weeden advises across sectors, particularly to clients in the media and transportation industry. She is regularly published in relation to the competition law applying to liner shipping consortia and has spoken at the European Maritime Law Organisation’s conference on this topic. Beyond her day job, Weeden is a pro bono community mediator for the Tower Hamlets Mediation Project and has worked part-time at charity ELHAP.org, leading volunteer projects for disabled and disadvantaged children.
Reed Smith partner Margaret Campbell, one of Brummell’s 30 Inspirational Women in the city for 2023, served as a member of the judging panel for this year's Ones to Watch list. Campbell is an insurance litigation lawyer with more than 40 years of legal experience and serves as EMEA chair of the Reed Smith Women’s Initiative Network.
Brummell is a luxury lifestyle magazine read by a highly targeted audience of people who work in London’s financial industry. The full listing can be found on Brummell’s website.